Decoupled evolution of soft and hard substrate communities during the Cambrian Explosion and Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event Luis A. Buatoisa,1, Maria G. Mánganoa, Ricardo A. Oleab, and Mark A. Wilsonc aDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5E2; bEastern Energy Resources Science Center, US Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192; and cDepartment of Geology, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691 Edited by Steven M. Holland, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and accepted by Editorial Board Member David Jablonski May 6, 2016 (received for review November 21, 2015) Contrasts between the Cambrian Explosion (CE) and the Great shed light on the natures of both radiations. Because there is still Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) have long been recog- controversy regarding Sepkoski’s nonstandardized curves of nized. Whereas the vast majority of body plans were established Phanerozoic taxonomic diversity (13–15), a rarefaction analysis as a result of the CE, taxonomic increases during the GOBE were was performed in an attempt to standardize diversity data. The manifested at lower taxonomic levels. Assessing changes of ichno- aims of this paper are to document the contrasting ichnodiversity diversity and ichnodisparity as a result of these two evolutionary and ichnodisparity trajectories in soft and hard substrate com- events may shed light on the dynamics of both radiations. The early munities during these two evolutionary events and to discuss the Cambrian (series 1 and 2) displayed a dramatic increase in ichnodi- possible underlying causes of this decoupled evolution. versity and ichnodisparity in softground communities. In contrast to this evolutionary explosion in bioturbation structures, only a few Results Cambrian bioerosion structures are known. After the middle to late Figs. 1 and 2 summarize ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity changes, Cambrian diversity plateau, ichnodiversity in softground communi- respectively, from the Ediacaran through the Ordovician (SI Ap- ties shows a continuous increase during the Ordovician in both pendix, Tables S1 and S2). According to these data, the early EVOLUTION shallow- and deep-marine environments. This Ordovician increase in Cambrian (series 1 and 2) displayed a dramatic increase in diversity bioturbation diversity was not paralleled by an equally significant and disparity of bioturbation structures (12). Whereas a maxi- increase in ichnodisparity as it was during the CE. However, hard mum of 10 ichnogenera of bioturbation structures have been substrate communities were significantly different during the GOBE, recorded in Ediacaran strata (9 in the Vendian and 7 in the Nama with an increase in ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity. Innovations in macrobioerosion clearly lagged behind animal–substrate interactions subdivisions), 40 ichnogenera are known from Fortunian strata, 59 from stage 2, 71 from stage 3, and 75 from stage 4 (Fig. 1 and in unconsolidated sediment. The underlying causes of this evolution- SI Appendix ary decoupling are unclear but may have involved three interrelated , Table S1). The rapid increase in behavioral patterns factors: (i) a Middle to Late Ordovician increase in available hard of bioturbation structures is also displayed at the scale of ichno- SI Appendix substrates for bioerosion, (ii) increased predation, and (iii) higher disparity (Fig. 2 and , Table S2). Specifically, there energetic requirements for bioerosion compared with bioturbation. are a maximum of 6 categories of architectural designs (5 in the Vendian and 4 in the Nama subdivisions) in Ediacaran strata in bioturbation | bioerosion | trace fossils | evolutionary radiations | contrast to 20 in Fortunian strata (27 from stage 2, 31 from stage rarefaction analysis 3, and 32 from stage 4). The maximum increase in both ichno- diversity and ichnodisparity took place during the Fortunian, he Cambrian Explosion (CE) and the Great Ordovician Bio- Tdiversification Event (GOBE) are the two evolutionary radi- Significance ations that shaped the Paleozoic marine biosphere (1–7). The contrasting natures of the Cambrian and Ordovician radiations The majority of body plans were established during the Cam- have long been recognized. Body fossil information suggests that brian Explosion (CE), whereas the significant taxonomic in- the vast majority of body plans emerged during of the CE and that creases during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event taxonomic increases during the GOBE took place at lower taxo- (GOBE) were manifest at lower taxonomic levels. Data on the nomic levels (8). However, there is still debate about whether diversity and disparity of bioturbation and bioerosion indicate these two events were independent or whether the GOBE was an that soft and hard substrate communities experienced decou- extension of the CE (8–10). pled evolution. Ichnofossil data indicate that rapid diversifica- Research on the nature of these two events has concentrated tion of bioturbation occurred during the early early Cambrian on body fossils. Initial research focused on shelly fossils, but later (Fortunian) rather than during the late early Cambrian as in- soft-bodied faunas were included due to the spectacular pres- dicated by shelly fossils. The first rapid increase in bioerosion ervation of Burgess Shale-type biotas, originally reported for the took place during the GOBE approximately 80 My after the CE Cambrian and lately for the Ordovician (9, 10). In comparison, in bioturbation. trace fossil information has not been used to the same degree. Significantly, ichnologic evidence is essential to evaluate how the Author contributions: L.A.B. and M.G.M. designed research; L.A.B., M.G.M., R.A.O., and M.A.W. performed research; R.A.O. contributed analytic tools; L.A.B., M.G.M., R.A.O., and interactions between organisms and substrate responded to these M.A.W. analyzed data; L.A.B. and R.A.O. wrote the SI Appendix; and L.A.B. wrote the two major evolutionary events (11, 12). Also, because trace fossils paper. essentially represent a continuous record of soft-bodied organisms, The authors declare no conflict of interest. ichnologic information provides an independent line of evidence to This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. S.M.H. is a guest editor invited by the Editorial that of shelly fossils, therefore helping to calibrate these two evo- Board. lutionary radiations (12). Assessing changes in animal–substrate 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]. interactions in both soft (bioturbation) and hard (bioerosion) This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10. substrate communities as a result of the CE and the GOBE may 1073/pnas.1523087113/-/DCSupplemental. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1523087113 PNAS Early Edition | 1of4 Downloaded by guest on September 26, 2021 Fig. 1. Ichnodiversity changes during the Ediacaran-Ordovician. Ichnogenera were plotted as range-through data (i.e., recording for each ichnogenus its lower and upper appearances and then extrapolating the ichnogenus presence through any intervening gap in the continuity of its record). which displays a 300% increase in ichnodiversity and 233% in (Granulohyalichnus and Tubulohyalichnus) have their first occurrence ichnodisparity with respect to Ediacaran data. The subsequent in the Archean (22, 23). Although these ichnogenera have not more modest ichnodisparity increase in stage 2 (35% with respect been recorded in Ediacaran-Ordovician strata, they do occur in to the Fortunian) reflects in part the appearance of vertical burrows younger rocks (23) and, therefore, have been added to the list. of suspension feeders (i.e., vertical simple burrows, vertical single Granulohyalichnus has been placed in the category of globular to U- and Y-shaped burrows) and to a lesser extent of detritus feeders spherical borings. However, microborings included in Tubulohya- (i.e., vertical concentrically filled burrows) (12, 16). Ichnodisparity lichnus display a wide variety of morphologies, most likely repre- and ichnodiversity reached a plateau in stages 3 and 4, respectively, senting more than one ichnogenus. Its type ichnospecies, T. simplus, which continued during the rest of the Cambrian, suggesting that by is included within the architectural category of cylindrical vertical to the end of the early Cambrian the evolutionary radiation was nearly oblique borings, whereas the remaining ichnospecies are awaiting over (12). This pattern is remarkably consistent with that indicated taxonomic review. by the body fossil record (6, 7) and has been confirmed by rare- In contrast with CE data, a different pattern emerges from the faction analysis (SI Appendix, Rarefaction Analysis). analysis of GOBE global ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity data. Contrasting with this evolutionary explosion in bioturbation After the middle to late Cambrian plateau, diversity of bioturbation structures, Cambrian bioerosion structures are only represented structures shows a continuous increase during the Ordovician in by four categories of architectural design: circular holes, cylin- both shallow- and deep-marine environments. The Ordovician in- drical vertical to oblique borings, fracture-shaped borings, and glob- crease in diversity is expressed in both raw and rarified data ular to spherical borings. Oichnus, Trypanites,andMandibulichnus are (SI Appendix, Rarefaction Analysis). However, rarefaction analysis knownfromCambrianstrata(17–20), the